'Smart' air conditioners could help reduce blackouts

Energy companies are being urged to do more to encourage customers to use air conditioners and other appliances that can be turned down or switched off remotely to help prevent blackouts.

NSW households faced the prospect of blackouts yesterday as temperatures soared above 40C in many parts of the state and power demand surged as people cranked up the air-conditioning to keep cool.

Residents were urged to switch off appliances to help reduce pressure on the electricity grid and prevent blackouts like those in South Australia earlier in the week as power usage approached record levels.

Energy analyst Dr Hugh Saddler says power companies should seize the opportunity to get more customers using "smart" home appliances that energy firms can control during times of high demand for electricity to ease pressure on the network.

He says while many air conditioners are fitted with devices allowing them to be controlled by power companies, they are not widely promoted.

"It's an issue which some of us have talked about for a long time, direct load control," Dr Saddler.

"Instead of blacking out whole areas, an electricity distribution company has the ability to control appliances in customers' premises and in particular, air conditioners.

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"What they do is turn off the air conditioner's compressor for say five minutes, but the fan keeps going. Your house isn't going to heat up dramatically in five minutes. And then after five minutes your compressor comes back on again and your neighbour's goes off."

Several brands of air conditioners sold in Australia are fitted with the devices allowing them to be controlled by signals sent by power companies.

Queensland energy companies Ergon and Energex offer cash incentives to customers who sign up to allow energy-guzzling air conditioners and pool pumps to either be shut off or operated at a minimal level during times of extreme weather when there is massive pressure on the energy network.

Dr Saddler believes more energy companies should follow suit.

"That's something that needs to be given a really serious rethink," he said.

The federal government's recent four-year SmartGrid SmartCity trial found that smart grid technologies could play a role in addressing the major challenges facing Australia's energy sector.

Chris Dunstan, from the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures Renewable, said coming up with ways to help energy users manage their usage can also help save money, for both utilities and consumers.

"The missing link for cheap and reliable electricity - demand management - has been staring us in the face for so long," he said.